Good kid center hours and kid friendly activities? NCL Pearl was AWFUL.

[kitkat343]

Thank you! Yes, I think Royal Caribbean is next for us. We did a few RC cruises before kids and LOVED them. A splash pad like that would more than suffice for something for the kids to do.

 

Royal Caribbean's kids club hours are exactly the same as NCL. If you need better hours, you should limit yourself to Princess, Celebrity or Disney.

 

We did choose to sail NCL on our last cruise knowing full well the hours would not work well for our family due to my son's nap schedule. I believe the cruise lines have every right to set the kids club hours how they like, but I hope parents - especially those of children who nap and children who are too young to be sent to the pool or to a rock climbing wall by themselves - are aware of the kids club hours prior to sailing, and choose to make an informed decision that this ship/kids club is right for their family. When we sailed HAL (the first cruise in which the kids club hours were a problem) I knew prior to sailing we'd be watching our son in the afternoon due to the closure, but what I didn't realize was that I would be watching an angry kid since he loved the kids club and wanted to go there as soon as he woke up from his nap (unfortunately he woke up right before they closed) and he was frustrated that they were closed. Angry kid + one of the oldest ships in HAL's fleet is not a good combination; we might have been fine with those hours on a ship with children's areas and activities like a newer RC ship.

 

I also hope parents are aware of the age brackets for the kids clubs prior to booking, as it is always sad to read of families who feel their vacations were ruined when their children/cousins/friends were unable to attend the same kids club group.

[mikesteg]

Yeah, cause we are made of money. Come on. You're just being mean.

 

Quoting you:

 

For the money I paid for a suite

 

You probably paid a couple thousand dollars more for the suite than you needed to, to get on the same ship the same week and recieve (mostly) the same level of service. Nobody is going to believe that you are lacking funds or penny pinching. For what you seem to be expecting (having someone responsible for and required to entertain your kids during the majority of waking hours) a nanny is the only way to go.

Edited February 10, 2017 by mikesteg

[6rugrats]

.

 

 

You probably paid a couple thousand dollars more for the suite than you needed to, to get on the same ship the same week and recieve (mostly) the same level of service. Nobody is going to believe that you are lacking funds or penny pinching. For what you seem to be expecting (having someone responsible for and required to entertain your kids during the majority of waking hours) a nanny is the only way to go.

 

Exactly, this suggestion was not "mean", it was just practical. If OP doesn't want to care for her children, that's her business. And, bringing someone along to care for them is done by many cruisers, whether you call the helper a "nanny", a "babysitter", a "friend" or a "grandparent".

 

OP , not sure what you are talking about when you mention parents of "one girl". You don't seem to want to take advice from anyone unless it's what you want to hear. You have no idea about the personal lives of any posters here, unless they've told you. Do what you please, it's your cruise. .

 

You posted complaining about having to care for your children because, "the cruise line was jerks and wanted to keep me sober and out of the casino." You said you wanted the children to be go to a play area when the kid's club was closed. You are unhappy because your children acted up and you got warnings.

 

If you brought someone with you to take care of your children, you could remain inebriated most of the cruise and gamble your money away without worrying about them. Seems a practical solution to me.

[trajan]

Exactly, this suggestion was not "mean", it was just practical. If OP doesn't want to care for her children, that's her business. And, bringing someone along to care for them is done by many cruisers, whether you call the helper a "nanny", a "babysitter", a "friend" or a "grandparent".

 

 

 

OP , not sure what you are talking about when you mention parents of "one girl". You don't seem to want to take advice from anyone unless it's what you want to hear. You have no idea about the personal lives of any posters here, unless they've told you. Do what you please, it's your cruise. .

 

 

 

You posted complaining about having to care for your children because, "the cruise line was jerks and wanted to keep me sober and out of the casino." You said you wanted the children to be go to a play area when the kid's club was closed. You are unhappy because your children acted up and you got warnings.

 

 

 

If you brought someone with you to take care of your children, you could remain inebriated most of the cruise and gamble your money away without worrying about them. Seems a practical solution to me.

 

 

Solid advice.

 

After all the different cruises we have been on I've come to expect kids club hours similar to what the op described. Yeah, it's sometimes inconvenient but I think all day at a kids club is not the best fit for some kids.

 

We love the suite life and usually spend all our time on a cruise together with our kids. We vacation to do things together as a family but we have changed it up sometimes. Two ocean view cabins with a hired traveling nanny or paying the way for a relative can be less than one suite and everyone can still have a very good time. Kids get more personalized attention when they need it and can still use the kids club when it's open.

 

 

 

 

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